Law: Briefs

MOST LITIGANTS in person (LIPs) conduct themselves in a courteous manor. But occasionally one or two take their cases too far. The Vice- Chancellor, Sir Richard Scott, recently recounted an incident in which he was obliged to summon the court tipstaff to eject an LIP from the Royal Courts of Justice after the man had spat at a listing officer. The Vice- Chancellor, who heads the Chancery Division and once famously chaired the arms-to-Iraq-inquiry, said he was left with no alternative but to fall back on his inherent judicial powers to have the man banned from court premises.

LAMBETH COUNCIL'S legal department was once described as "among the worst in the country". But the bad old days seem to be over. Lambeth's legal department has been been given a quality assurance standard by the International Standards Organisation. At the same time the Law Society has awarded Lambeth its own certificate of excellence, the Lexcel kitemark.

THE TITLE for this year's Independent/College of Law Essay Competition, is: "With the legal market place becoming increasingly more commercial and global, is there a role for the ethical lawyer?" Submissions should be a maximum of 1,500 words and the winner will have his or her course fees paid by the College of Law. The winning article will also be published in The Independent.The closing date is 14 January 2000. Entries are invited from law undergraduates or students on the Graduate Conversion Course (CPE) who will be commencing their vocational training as either solicitors or barristers starting Autumn 2000.

For full details and an entry form write to: The College of Law Essay Competition, the College of Law, Braboeuf Manor, St Catherines, Guildford, GU3 1HA or e-mail: info@lawcol.co.uk